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There’s one thing that your mother and yoga or meditation teacher probably have in common, and that’s the fact that each has told you to “sit up straight” at some point in your life.
Sitting with your back straight (or, to use a common yoga cue, with a “flat back” or a “straight spine”) has long been assumed to be better for you, particularly when it comes to preventing lower back pain. Those of us who were indoctrinated to constantly correct our slouching were also led to believe that proper posture could fix any woes related to sitting for hours at our desk, in our car, or on our couch.
However, recent research suggests that there may not be a safe way to sit all day. And the concerns relate not just to your lower back but your longevity.
Why “Sit Up Straight” Was Considered the Answer
Your spine has natural curves. When you sit up straight, your posture allows for these natural curves in the spine to exist. That includes a slight backbend at the neck and low back as well as a slight forward bend through the mid-back and sacrum. These curves lend the spine its capacity to effectively manage the compression of gravity.
Each time you slouch, your tailbone tucks and your chin drops toward your chest, which flattens the natural curves at the low back and neck and emphasizes the rounding in the spine. This all-too-common postural pattern has two potential negative influences on your spine.
First, the muscles on the back of your body have to work to hold the weight of your head from a slightly lengthened position. This is not your body’s default design. The resulting strain can eventually lead to nagging tension in your back, shoulders, and neck.
Second, as the weight of your head and shoulders leans more heavily on the front of your spine, it increases compression on your intervertebral discs. The discs are healthiest when exposed to varied patterns of pressure. When that pressure remains constant hour after hour, day after day, there’s potential for premature wear on these vital structures.
Keeping the spine’s natural curves intact seems like it would be beneficial for the low back. And there is research supporting that longheld notion. However, there’s also conflicting research. A systematic review and meta-analysis concluded, somewhat surprisingly, that sitting posture doesn’t seem to be a factor in lumbar discomfort.
Maybe We’re Missing the Point
In recent years, the conversation around sitting all day has focused less exclusively on the likelihood of lower back pain and more on the litany of other risks associated with prolonged sitting. Another scientific meta-analysis reports that being sedentary for long periods of time, no matter how much you exercise, you will experience significant detriments to your health.
Research also suggests the longer you sit each day, the greater your risk of mortality from any cause. As an example, sitting for 10 hours a day was associated with a 48 percent increased risk of death, regardless of your sitting posture.
Is There a Safe Way to Sit All Day?
Humans did not evolve to remain still. Although hunter-gatherers are believed to have spent as much time at rest as contemporary humans, they mostly squatted and kneeled, positions that require more muscle engagement and, as a result, frequent shifting. By comparison, you likely remain still as you sit with your eyes glued to your computer or device.
And that’s the problem.
Even back-related research that supports the benefits of trying to sit up straight also recommend taking regular breaks to stand and move throughout the day. In fact, it is advised that we take every opportunity to do so.
It’s actually quite easy to find discrete moves when you’re sitting at your desk or steering wheel. Yoga can help. There are simple movements that can be done without need for special attire, equipment, space, or even standing. These include seated side stretches, twists, shoulder rolls, and cactus arms. Research also suggests that even practicing seated heel lifts can, over the course of a work day, mitigate some of the negative effects of sitting. If you have some latitude in making relatively dramatic movements, a chair yoga practice is your answer.
If stepping away from your chair for a few minutes is an option, there are standing poses such as Upward Salute, Goddess Pose, High Lunge, Reverse Warrior, and Extended Side Angle that you can quickly practice at your desk or in a parking lot.
Even the kind of deep abdominal breathing that you practice in yoga can help by subtly changing circulation and pressure around your spine.
Your mother and yoga or meditation teacher weren’t wrong by reminding you to pay attention to your spine. Although the answer is more complex than it was once believed, the solution can be simple. When you can’t step away from your chair, move what you can. Sitting up straight optional.
